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Apple Television Set Rumors Revived, To Launch in 2011?

stewart715 said:
Don't know if this is related or even real:

http://digg.com/news/technology/http_farm4_static_flickr_com_3144_5859820735_8b06d49486_b_jpg
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an image like that can easily be photoshopped to include whatever info they want, so i'd take it with a grain of salt.

I would also think if apple were looking to do something like this they would be looking at something along the lines of IPTV, where no other devices are required, not DirecTV which needs a satellite dish.
 
xxBURT0Nxx said:
an image like that can easily be photoshopped to include whatever info they want, so i'd take it with a grain of salt.

I would also think if apple were looking to do something like this they would be looking at something along the lines of IPTV, where no other devices are required, not DirecTV which needs a satellite dish.
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IPTV? over what cable?? no way that comcast will let that happen that 250gb download cap will shut this down fast.
 
All Apple has to do is put a HDMI port and a standard optical audio port (not combine it with the 1/8" jack) on a Mac Mini. control it from your iPad or from a bluetooth setup or from your iPhone. I do all that from my last generation Mini. All the "stations" you want and it plays DVDs. If Apple paid the royalties for BlueRay, updated FrontRow (make it a better Plex) and added that to the MINI too it would be a perfect unit.
Almost everyone already has a big screen TV - they are not gonna buy another just for those added features but they may buy a media center box like the MINI to plug into the set they already have.
 
colmaclean said:
hitekalex said:
DLNA? Surely you jest. Apple won't touch that garbage with a 10 foot pole.
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Is that the same "garbage" with which I can stream HD video across my home network from my NAS to my TV? With no additional hardware?

Guess I better throw it in the nearest skip.
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"No additional hardware" other than your NAS running DLNA server? Show me DLNA server that runs on a mobile device (phone or a tablet). Show me DLNA implementation that works reliably for all formats that it claims to support. Show me DLNA setup that can correctly display media art and metadata.

There is a reason why Apple invented AirPlay - namely that DLNA is a half baked standard that's not average consumer friendly and never really worked reliably.
 
It's only going to offer 720p. "Because the average person cannot distinguish between 1080 and 720". LOL!
 
bbydon said:
I used to think this but the more i see airplay the more i think they want the ipad too hold the apps and the Apple Tv be nothing more than a mirroring device. Its hard enough to do anything with that stupid apple remote.... the ipad solves that.
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Yes, that ATV remote is very much not what Apple does.

Cumbersome to use and just time wastingly impractical.

The smoothness and gliding of the OS elements and letters and sounds are beautiful, but functionally I think they can do better.

We need a touch screen remote, wait we'll have it ijhone and ipad.
 
hitekalex said:
Complete non sequitur. What does ROKR have to do with this?
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I believe that is a reference to the failure of the ROKR and how displeased Apple was with it since they did not control the hardware. The point may have been that Apple would have to partner with a TV manufacturer and co-brand the TV - which at this point they would never do.
 
ersatzplanet said:
All Apple has to do is put a HDMI port and a standard optical audio port (not combine it with the 1/8" jack) on a Mac Mini. control it from your iPad or from a bluetooth setup or from your iPhone. I do all that from my last generation Mini. All the "stations" you want and it plays DVDs. If Apple paid the royalties for BlueRay, updated FrontRow (make it a better Plex) and added that to the MINI too it would be a perfect unit.
Click to expand...

The Mini already has HDMI but it's far from a perfect unit. That's why I use mine with WMC7.

When Front Row comes with an IPG, DVR and support for ATSC and QAM instead of having to mess around with third party software, then it might get closer to perfect. Why pay for television through iTunes when it's free OTA?
 
hitekalex said:
"No additional hardware" other than your NAS running DLNA server? Show me DLNA server that runs on a mobile device (phone or a tablet).
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The Moto Atrix does DLNA HD streaming straight from the phone to my DLNA equiped Panasonic TV. ;)
No additional hardware required.
Is it perfect... no. I'd say about 90% of the time it works without any issues.
The other 10% are either content encoding issues or user error. :D
 
emaja said:
I believe that is a reference to the failure of the ROKR and how displeased Apple was with it since they did not control the hardware. The point may have been that Apple would have to partner with a TV manufacturer and co-brand the TV - which at this point they would never do.
Click to expand...

ROKR didn't fail because Apple didn't control the hardware. It failed because Apple didn't control the software, and the Moto OS that it ran was complete junk.. not to mention a silly 100 song limit, which was artificially imposed to protect Apple iPod sales.

Partnering with a TV manufacturer for some of the hardware components is perfectly fine, as long as Apple controls the software and the UI elements of the device. Do you really think that Apple designs and engineers the 27" screen that comes in every iMac? Of course they don't - they partner with screen manufacturers like LG, Samsung, etc. It wouldn't be any different with Apple-made TV.

rjohnstone said:
The Moto Atrix does DLNA HD streaming straight from the phone to my DLNA equiped Panasonic TV. ;)
No additional hardware required.
Is it perfect... no. I'd say about 90% of the time it works without any issues.
The other 10% are either content encoding issues or user error. :D
Click to expand...

The AirPlay between my iPad and AppleTV works 100% of the time, and doesn't leave much room for "user error" ;)
 
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emaja said:
I believe that is a reference to the failure of the ROKR and how displeased Apple was with it since they did not control the hardware. The point may have been that Apple would have to partner with a TV manufacturer and co-brand the TV - which at this point they would never do.
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Thanks :D

hitekalex said:
ROKR didn't fail because Apple didn't control the hardware. It failed because Apple didn't control the software, and the Moto OS that it ran was complete junk.. not to mention a silly 100 song limit, which was artificially imposed to protect Apple iPod sales.

Partnering with a TV manufacturer for some of the hardware components is perfectly fine, as long as Apple controls the software and the UI elements of the device. Do you really think that Apple designs and engineers the 27" screen that comes in every iMac? Of course they don't - they partner with screen manufacturers like LG, Samsung, etc. It wouldn't be any different with Apple-made TV.
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The hardware was not all that great either. Apple controls their hardware destiny. They don't necessarily manufacture the screens but they do control the quality and design of what get's put out.
 
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important said:
So let me get this straight - Apple can "barely" (by iOS device standards) sell the $99 Apple TV, but they are going to roll out actual TVs?

Not happening. Just keep adding features (*cough* apps *cough*) to the $99 ATV and they'll move.
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to your last point first... Steve always quotes that the key to apple's success is the ability to resist adding features to a product. You're breaking the prime directive.

To me, the key feature is 'one button on one remote to control the display(TV), the sound(Home Theater Receiver) and the features (iOS).'

Think iPhone. What is that... a one button computer with a phone app.
Think iTV... a one button(remote) computer with a HDTV app.
The back: a cable input, an RJ45, and a power cord (and some new 7.2 cable interface that is one plug with 9 octopus outputs for the speakers... $29)
The front... a TV set with a power button, bluetooth and wireless built into the bezel, a 2.1 speaker system ('internal speakers')

It's 1" wide, (other than the detachable base which includes the downward subwoofer) 40" on diagonal, has 2048x1536 resolution (double current iPad for easy resolution uplift).

Supports bluetooth keyboard, mouse and headphones.

It's so uber consistent with the iOeverything, I want to go patent it;-).

Steve, Hire me the program manager... I'll make it work insanely great!!!!!!(write me at theothergeoff@gmail.com);-)

TSE said:
Could they possible turn the 27" iMac or a new 30" iMac into a TV? I was thinking about this last night.
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makes no sense unless they port iOS to the Intel platform. Makes more sense to embed the ATV into a flatscreen, and instead of an HDMI out cable, just drive VRAM that the TV uses.
 
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I really can't see this happening as there is very little profit to be made in TVs. Panasonic recently let 16,000 go and Phillips shut down it's TV production completely.
 
Jeaz said:
I really can't see this happening as there is very little profit to be made in TVs. Panasonic recently let 16,000 go and Phillips shut down it's TV production completely.
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Why do you think Apple can successfully sell LCD screens (Apple Cinema Displays), but not TVs?

A modern TV is basically a large / lower resolution LCD screen with a built-in ATSC tuner (the latter is a low-cost commodity component).

Apple can EASILY take the current ACD design and extend it into a TV form factor, adding integrated ATV2/A5 module and perhaps ATSC tuner.
 
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The iTV will be beautiful and work amazingly great. No - insanely great and people will pay through the nose to own one. :D
 
hitekalex said:
The AirPlay between my iPad and AppleTV works 100% of the time, and doesn't leave much room for "user error" ;)
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You still need that $99 piece of hardware in between your iPad and TV for it to work. ;)

Also, you still have to make sure your content is encoded with the right codec. This is the same issue with DLNA, although DLNA supports more codecs than AirPlay.
There is plenty of room for "user error".
Some person who has no clue about codecs (average user) will be pretty upset when something that is supposed to "just work" can't play their home movies.
 
hitekalex said:
Why do you think Apple can successfully sell LCD screens (Apple Cinema Displays), but not TVs?

A modern TV is basically a large / lower resolution LCD screen with a built-in ATSC tuner (the latter is a low-cost commodity component).

Apple can EASILY take the current ACD design and extend it into a TV form factor, adding integrated ATV2/A5 module and perhaps ATSC tuner.
Click to expand...

Based on what I've seen as a Mac technician for 12 years and having been in the homes/offices of hundreds of Mac users, I don't think Apple sells a ton of ACDs. I doubt they'd enter a very price-competitive TV market just to be a niche offering. Just doesn't seem to be their style when it comes to consumer electronics.

I'd be less surprised to see Samsung or some other company offer TVs with iTunes streaming built-in, but I doubt and iTV will happen.
 
It's just not Apple's MO to put the Apple logo on something that they did not design and build themselves. If this is happening, it'll only happen if Samsung plays the role of Foxconn. I definitely don't think Apple will follow a partnership model and just bet their brand on something that's built by someone else.
 
Sorry, Apple will NOT get into the hyper-competitive television market, because Apple will not want to get into selling low-margin consumer electronics, especially since they'll have to compete against Vizio, Samsung, LG and Sony in that market. Now, an enhanced Apple TV box that can plug into any TV that has an HDMI 1.3a connector, that's a different story.
 
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